The present invention relates to a novel arrangement of precious stones, and more particularly, to the arrangement and setting of four or more precious stones, such as diamonds, in a manner which provides the appearance of a single larger marquise, navette or other shaped stone.
Precious stones such as diamonds have varying commercial and esthetic value depending, among other factors, on their color, clarity, cut, and size. While color, clarity and cut are important factors in the marketability of a gem or setting, the size of a gem contributes greatly to the purchaser's perception of value and desirability. Ordinarily, in order to present a large viewable surface of a precious stone such as a diamond, it is necessary to employ a large stone. This can entail a considerable expense. Unfortunately, some natural gem stones are not readily available in sufficient quantity in the desired larger sizes to meet the market demand or, if available, are prohibitively expensive in the larger sizes. As a result, certain types of larger stones, such as emeralds, are now man made. However, this solution is not practical with diamonds. Additionally, consumers generally prefer natural gem stones over artificial ones, so the creation of man made stones, where possible, does not address this problem.
One known solution is to employ settings that hold two smaller stones together to provide the appearance of a single larger stone. A combination of smaller stones costs less than a single larger stone having the same total weight, and there is less loss of stone in the cutting process. This known technique has been attempted by the present inventor and others for producing so-called Marquise or Navette stones.
One known technique for constructing a composite marquise or navette stone has been to assemble two half-marquise stones, base-to-base, giving the appearance of a contiguous whole. The composite stone created by this method is, however, limited based on the geometry and proportions of the resulting assembled stone, as well as by the cost and availability of suitable stones for cutting larger half-marquise or other types of stones. It would therefore be desirable to create a composite stone of a larger size than that produced using two half-stones in order to satisfy the demands of the market.
Some prior attempts to assemble smaller stones into a larger contiguous whole have not been entirely successful in that the assembled stones often exhibit a dark band or zone in the region of the juncture between stones and/or include joints which are apparent. Additionally, dust and dirt particles become wedged between the stones when the joints are apparent. These disadvantages detract from the value and beauty of the assembled stones.
Prior attempts to eliminate these undesirable qualities have not been entirely successful. One reason for this lack of success is that the marquise-halves or escutcheons are generally elliptical stones, and the same basic cutting methods have been applied to them as have been used for the "brilliant" cutting of generally circular stones. This generally resulted in "dark zones" in the assembled stones because of less than optimal light reflection.